Every Time You Eat or Drink Remember Jesus- Wade Burleson -

Luke 22:14-23 (NASB)

When the hour had come, He reclined at the table, and the apostles with Him. And He said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I shall never again eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine from now on until the kingdom of God comes.” And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” And in the same way He took the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in My blood. But behold, the hand of the one betraying Me is with Mine on the table. For indeed, the Son of Man is going as it has been determined; but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!” And they began to discuss among themselves which one of them it might be who was going to do this thing.

Throughout Jesus life, whenever people sought unsuccessfully to put an end to His life and ministry, Jesus would say, "My time has not yet come" (John 7:6). When they sought to throw Him off a cliff in Luke 4, or when they tried to seize Him in John 7, Jesus would simply say, "My hour has not yet come." It's almost as if Jesus had an internal clock regarding the timing of His death on Calvary's cross.

Our text begins with "When the hour came…" (Luke 22:14). Don't skip over that verse. In the parallel account in Matthew 26:18, Jesus instructed the Disciples to go find a house in Jerusalem and say to the owner, "The Teacher says: 'My appointed time is near.'" What does it mean "the appointed time?" Jesus said to the Jewish religious leaders, "Moses wrote of Me" (John 5:46). Until you see every book, every chapter, every verse, every line of the Old Testament is a marker of the Messiah, you'll miss truth.

The last days of Jesus were appointed by God's calendar. There is no other time that Jesus could die but Passover time. The festivals of the Old Testament were all about the life, work, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. We don't have time to go over all seven festivals. When you pick up the Old Testament you should see Jesus on every single page.

The Passover in the Old Testament calendar was the most important week of the Hebrew year. Passover encompassed 12 days, from the 10th until the 21st of Abib (corresponding to our April/May) In the book of Exodus, chapter 12, we read all about the Passover and what it meant to the Hebrews. God's people were in Egyptian bondage. Their lives were miserable, painful and seemingly hopeless. God determined to deliver His people from their bondage, and He directed them to do the following:

A lamb in the prime of life was to be offered as a sacrifice on the 10th of Abib.

There was to be no blemish or defect in the lamb as it was placed under inspection for four days.

The lamb was slain on the 14th day of Abib in the afternoon, in preparation for a meal that night.

The blood of the lamb was sprinkled on the doorposts in the form of a cross before dinner.

The Hebrews stood, dressed in sandals, staff in hand, and ate the Lamb as sojourners.

That night, the death angel would "pass over" homes where the blood had been applied. Death touched every home in Egypt; but the substitute lamb took the death for believers.

Jesus the Messiah came to "fulfill the Law," for the Law was written about Him. We know exactly the last week of Jesus. On the 10th of Abib, AD 30 (April 2), Jesus entered Jerusalem. Over the course of the next four days (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday), Jesus was put on trial by the Jewish leaders, the Roman leaders, and finally the people themselves. At least seven times it was declared that Jesus was innocent and without fault. The lamb had been chosen and examined.

Jesus died as the lamb of God on the 14th day of Abib.

Jesus was in the tomb during the Feast of Unleavened Bread (which began at Passover).

Jesus rose on the morning of the Feast of First Fruits.

This last supper that Jesus had with His disciples was a meal of ordinary bread and wine. It was Wednesday night, April 5, AD 30. In the Jewish mind, it was the beginning of a new day (April 6), which was in their lunar calendar (Abib 14), Preparation Day for Passover. This meal is truly the Last Supper. "Every time you eat, every time you drink, remember Jesus Christ." What difference does this make? Jesus Christ is King of Kings. History is His Story. Does your story intersect with His?